Johnson back for revenge mission

WHEN former Australian captain Steve Waugh coined the phrase ‘mental disintegration’ he didn’t have one of his countrymen in mind.

Mitchell Johnson has now bounced back from his failure to shine in the Ashes

But Mitchell Johnson’s performances in the last two Ashes’ series fitted that description perfectly as his self-belief seemed to unravel in front of packed galleries.

The songs by the Barmy Army in his honour – coupled with his wayward performances in the middle – shattered his confidence to such an extent that he was out of the Aussies’ Test side for more than a year.

Just six months ago the career of a player who was once referred to by the great Dennis Lillee as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime prospect’ looked to be in serious need of resuscitation.

But as Australia prepare to take on India in the first match of their four-Test series in Chennai on Friday, Johnson is back – and suddenly shaping up to be a key part of the Aussie’s pace attack as they look to avoid a hat-trick of Ashes defeats.

Quite some turnaround for a man who struggled to locate the cut strip when the two sides last met in Sydney back in January 2011. As England amassed a total of 644, Johnson toiled – much to the mirth of the huge English contingent inside the SCG – conceding 168 runs in his 36 overs.

The England team celebrate winning the Ashes in 2011

"Being away from the media helped, not copping it day in, day out"

Mitchell Johnson

Former Australian bowling coach, Craig McDermott, though, believes England could be laughing on the other side of their faces if Johnson brings his recent form to these shores a few months from now.

“He’s certainly back, bowling well and batting well too,” says McDermott. “His confidence is up and he seems a different sort of player again. If he gets his head right, he’s a formidable cricketer to take on.

“His confidence was down and his arm was too low. You can’t swing a ball if you’re bowling arm is at 45 degrees. But when he’s on song, he can bowl the house down because he can swing it at over 90mph. Do that and you’re going to cause trouble.”

Sadly for Johnson, the only trouble he has caused against England – with a couple of notable exceptions – has been to the Australian wicketkeeper diving desperately to prevent byes from his wild deliveries. Johnson’s 35 wickets against England have come at a cost of over 34 but those figures would be far worse were it not for his match figures of 9-82 at Perth in England’s only defeat of the 2010/11 Ashes series.

A repeat of those heroics looked a long shot as Johnson – who also suffered a toe injury that kept him out of cricket for six months – saw the likes of James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins leapfrog him in the Australian pecking order.

Johnson is bowled by England's James Anderson in 2011

McDermott, however, believes that Johnson will take this chance. “He’s had to do a lot of work over the last 15 months,” says McDermott.

“Consistency was one of his downfalls in the last two or three years. He couldn’t get his line or length right but there are real signs he’s back and if he can stay fit then he won’t waste this latest opportunity.”

Last year Johnson revealed that were it not for the injury he suffered against South Africa in Jo’burg in November 2011 he might have walked away from the game completely.

“That retirement was on the cards, for sure,” he said. “Being away from the media helped a little bit, not copping it day in, day out. So that’s been a bit of a relief.”

That relief could be temporary if England fans get on his back again this summer. Whether Johnson can handle it could be the difference between Australia regaining the Ashes or flying home empty-handed.